Cedar Mill and Bethany residents who relied on their local Community Participation Organizations to track nearby development and question county officials at neighborhood meetings lost that channel when Washington County shut down the program this spring.

The replacement consolidates neighborhood groups into four district-level bodies meeting quarterly on countywide issues.

Three opportunities to weigh in remain before the Board of County Commissioners finalizes the new structure.

How to participate

• Wednesday, July 8, 6–7 p.m. — District 2 virtual listening session via Zoom (meeting ID: 84808727939). Registration is available through the county's online portal, and a separate survey is also open for written input.
• Tuesday, July 15, 6:30 p.m. — Planning Commission public hearing on Ordinance 915, which would amend the Bethany Community Plan and the Cedar Hills-Cedar Mill Community Plan to reflect the new engagement structure.
• Tuesday, August 25, 6:30 p.m. — Board of County Commissioners public hearing on Ordinance 915. If the board amends the ordinance, an additional hearing would be triggered.

At both hearings, residents may speak in person or via Zoom, or submit written testimony in advance. Agenda materials and Zoom links are posted to the county meetings page one week before each session.

Under the old system, CPO 1 covered Cedar Mill and Cedar Hills, while CPO 7 covered Bethany, Sunset West, and Rock Creek. Those groups received notice of every land development proposed in their area and published the information in newsletters. Individual property owners only get notified of land use actions within 500 feet of their home, so the CPOs served as a wider watchdog.

As the Cedar Mill News reported, under the new structure residents will no longer be able to contact a local CPO to learn about planned development on a nearby lot, find out how a new road will affect them, or attend a local meeting where they can ask a sheriff about neighborhood crime.

Bruce Bartlett, who chaired CPO 1, described the program's value in a 2006 Cedar Mill News piece: "CPOs are a mechanism to enable participation in the changes that affect our lives and property."

The Board of County Commissioners approved the overhaul on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, as part of its consent agenda, where routine matters are approved in bulk without individual discussion. The county called it the first major policy update to the CPO program in 40 years, aimed at aligning the program with current community needs and county-provided services, according to a county press release.

The CPO program dates to 1983, created to satisfy Oregon's statewide land use planning Goal #1 requiring citizen involvement. For more than 30 years it was run under contract with the Oregon State University Extension Service. OSU ended that contract in 2016, and the county took over management. By 2021, commissioners had signaled support for a multi-year "reenvisioning."

The county's Office of Access and Opportunity is managing the transition. The county says the new program will launch in fall 2026 after a summer planning pause. It has not yet been named.

Cedar Mill and Bethany fall within Commissioner District 2. The July 8 virtual session is the last informal input opportunity before the ordinance hearings begin. Ordinance 915 would formally amend multiple community plans, and the Planning Commission will make recommendations to the full board at its July 15 hearing.